Fiddle vs. Violin

First of all, thanks so much to all of you who came up to me on this last tour to tell me you enjoyed my blogs - I had no idea so many people were reading them! Now I'm all nervous. Anyways...

The most frequent question any fiddle player gets when they're performing and touring is the age-old conundrum, "What's the difference between a violin and a fiddle?" Usually when I'm pressed for time I just answer "about six pints", but for those of you who want the real answer, here it is:

Nothing.

Ok, almost nothing. I thought that would be more dramatic though. Did you get chills? I did.

"Fiddle" playing refers to the style of music being played. Basically, most styles of music that aren't strictly classical fall under the umbrella of "fiddle" playing - be it one of the many traditional Canadian/American styles, Irish, Scottish, Gypsy/Romany, etc. Some jazz violinists call it jazz fiddle, but that's just wishful thinking. (NOTE: my opinions do not reflect those of... well... anyone else. But this is MY blog.)

There are a couple of minor physical differences you MIGHT see between a fiddle player's "fiddle" and a violinist's "bassoon". These aren't present on every "fiddle", and it's really up to personal preference. Here are a few I've noticed:

1. Lower, flatter bridge.

This is mostly to allow for easier double-stops, or multi-string playing (chords). You hear a lot more double-stops in bluegrass/Appalachian playing than you do in Irish or Canadian playing. Typically though, double-stops are more directly related to alcohol consumption, so it's possible to hear inadvertent chords being played in any style. The lower bridge also allows for quicker jumping between strings which is common to all styles of "fiddle" playing.

2. Different strings.

Honestly, I really think this is mostly because no one but an orchestral violinist sees the need to pay $120 for a set of strings. (haha). Really though, different brands/compositions of strings make a huge difference in the sound of an instrument, and violinists typically go for a brighter sound while fiddle players look for a mellower, more "wooden" sound from their instrument. Again, it's all down to your own preference. There are no rules. (That's right, we're rebels. Tell your mom I'm "dangerous".)

3. Bigger body (haha, very funny. The instrument. Jerks).

I've heard people mention this before - that fiddles often are slightly bigger than violins. Again, this is just a matter of preference. There is a pretty wide range of sizes and shapes within the violin world, and a deeper body will give you a deeper, mellower tone (usually). Fiddle players who are looking for that kind of sound will often buy a slightly larger/deeper instrument to achieve it, but they're not buying a different instrument altogether! It's all the same violiddle.

..and sadly,

4. Quality of instrument.

This one's a stereotype, but a lot of stereotypes have at least an inkling of truth in them, right? Basically, the stereotypical belief is that any instrument below a certain price-range is a "fiddle"; and that all "fiddles" are generally lower quality than violins. This is a misconception - it's true that most "fiddle" players' instruments did cost them less than those of a symphony violinist, but more often than not it's a product of their priorities. Orchestral/concert violinists NEED a hundred-thousand dollar instrument; they generally use the whole range of the violin from the lowest to the highest notes, and they need all those notes to sound great. MOST fiddle players don't use more than about half the range of the instrument with any (ha) frequency, so there's less of a need to mortgage their house for an instrument that will sound sweet only to dogs. Besides, there are a TON more casual fiddle players than there are casual violinists, at least in my experience, and anyone who is casual about the instrument they're playing isn't likely to break the bank for a really good one.

That being said, there are plenty of fantastic fiddle players out there with very expensive instruments. The most expensive instrument I've ever personally held was worth more than the owner's house - and it was a very nice house, owned by a very nice Canadian champion old-time fiddle player. Many "fiddle" players who are truly serious about what they do will spend $10,000 or more on their instrument. That is, provided they don't actually play fiddle for a living - then there's no way they can afford such a nice instrument. That's what they call a "catch".

ASIDE: If I have any disgustingly wealthy readers who have $10,000 violins lying around propping open doors and catching water from leaking pipes, please allow me to relieve you of them. Also, if you just have $10,000 cash filling the same role - I'm not picky. END ASIDE.

I know this wasn't the story of my transition from "violin" to "fiddle" that I promised in my last blog - I thought I should try to clear up the difference first. See you next time.

-Brian